Cytox and Affymetrix Form Strategic Partnership to Develop and Commercialize Blood-Based Genetic Assay for Alzheimer's Disease Risk Assessment

Cytox Ltd, an innovative developer of assays for risk assessment and prediction of dementia, and Affymetrix AFFX, a leading provider of translational research and diagnostic solutions, announce a strategic partnership where the two companies are to collaborate on developing and commercializing a blood-based genetic assay for research in diagnosis and prognosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150720005017/en/ Dr. Richard Pither, CEO of Cytox commented, "Our early research studies developed with our partners at University College London and University of Birmingham suggest that by using a customised genetic variation (SNP) panel, it may be possible to better assess the risk of an individual developing AD or MCI. The Axiom® genotyping platform from Affymetrix, a highly robust, cost-effective, and fast turn-around time genotyping platform, is ideally suited for use in a blood-based test for researchers interested in AD and MCI risk stratification and longer term diagnostic and prognostic use. Affymetrix is a leading supplier of translational research and diagnostic solutions partnering worldwide with customers in pharma, diagnostic and biotech companies. Cytox will provide new genetic content using our comprehensive AD and dementia expertise which, when combined with Affymetrix's technology, know-how and marketing support makes an ideal partnership." "Our Axiom genotyping platform has already proved very successful in pharma R&D," added Michael Nemzek, VP of Strategic Marketing, Genotyping, at Affymetrix. "The partnership with Cytox will allow us to extend our offering into the important AD and dementia research market with a significant new application." -ends- Cytox Limited Cytox Limited is a UK-based company with a unique scientific and proprietary technology platform. Through the application of this fundamental science and our specific know-how, we are elucidating the biology and genetics behind dementia, as well as developing prognostic tests for cognitive decline and individual risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other dementias. For more about the mTOR pathway and its potential role in early identification of risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, follow this link: www.cytoxgroup.com/information-for-editors Affymetrix Affymetrix technologies enable multiplex and simultaneous analysis of biological systems at the cell, protein, and gene level, facilitating the rapid translation of bench-top research into clinical and routine use for human health and wellness. Affymetrix provides leadership and support, partnering with customers in pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and biotechnology companies, as well as leading academic, government, and non-profit research institutes in their quest to use biology for a better world. More than 2,300 microarray systems have been shipped around the world and more than 94,000 peer-reviewed papers have been published citing Affymetrix technologies. Affymetrix is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and has manufacturing facilities in Cleveland, San Diego, Vienna, and Singapore. Affymetrix has about 1,100 employees and maintains sales and distribution operations worldwide.